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I know that I'm not the only one that feels the seasonal sense of urgency. All of us who live in northerly climes know it. The clock is running. The big W is around the corner. We can't keep it at bay, but we can sure make the most of the remaining days.
September? Glorious. There's just not enough of it. Bob Garnier recently posted about it on his great little blog, Trout on Dries. But then, as an Albertan, he knows about urgency and winter. As a Montanan, I appreciate Alberta. Heck, they send us weather.
No matter. Back to September. It's an embarrassment of riches. Back when I bowhunted avidly, I'd spend weeks wearing out boot soles by chasing elk in the high country. Now, other vices have supplanted the pursuit of elk.
There's birds and dogs to chase, high and low. Trout to catch that now revel in the cooling water. Just pick a river to fish. And, heaven forbid, steelhead, if.....
So far we've spent a day in the high county where th…

It only took forty years, but I finally did it. I drove to Island Park, Idaho and, instead of just looking at the water, I wet my line in the storied Henry's Fork. Known for tremendous insect hatches, it's regarded as some of the finest dry fly water in existence. It's a spring creek, a very big one at that. A hundred yards wide in many places. Size wise, it's quite a change from the Paradise Valley spring creeks that I'm accustomed to fishing.

I started off by getting a day pass to access Harriman State Park (available at park headquarters). Then, wanting to fish the middle section of the ranch, I backtracked and parked at the appropriate access point along the highway. From there, a pleasant mile long morning walk along an old ranch road led me to the fabled waters. It was quite a sight.

Bugs were starting to hatch when I walked up to the stream. I can't say that it was a huge hatch though. A few clouds of tricos, some blue-winged olives, a very few …

Labor day. What to do? A hike? Something short and sweet. One that didn't involve hours of driving to boot. I settled on Beehive Basin up near Big Sky. I've been all over the Spanish Peaks in the last forty years. But, I've avoided the Big Sky side of the "peaks." Why? Hell, there's gobs of people. But, today I made an exception.

It's an easy hike. A couple of miles each way. You won't want for company.
It was deliciously cool when I arrived at the trailhead. Forty-two degrees. The clouds were just starting to lift. I started hiking at nine. Late for me, but with such nice conditions, and for a shortie hike, it was early enough. Most of the many hiking folk would arrive later.
The trail, nice and wide, winds through open timber and meadow. This late in the season, most of the flowers had withered. But, I can see this as a nice wildflower hike earlier in the summer.
It is a pretty basin. Open. Easy to get around.
I hiked past the l…